IAM1551 – Dietician Nutritionist, Certified Yoga Teacher and Author Helps Brands Convey Health Eating Messages
Special Throwback Episode - Podcast Interview with Keri Gans
Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Yoga Teacher, and author of The Small Change Diet, a Shape Magazine Advisory Board Member, and blogger for US News & World Report. The Keri Report, her own weekly blog and newsletter, helps to convey her no-nonsense and fun approach to living a healthy lifestyle. Gans is a sought-after nutrition expert and has conducted thousands of interviews worldwide. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as Glamour, Shape, Self, Women’s Health, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, PIX11 Morning Show, Good Morning America, and FOX Business. She lives in NYC and East Hampton with her husband Bart and is a huge dog lover, Netflix aficionado, and martini enthusiast.
- CEO Story: Keri’s passion for nutrition and passion for communicating sound messages just took off on its own. Conveying to others with her approach to living a healthy lifestyle blog.
- Business Service: Working with a variety of food brands. Healthy foods. Sharing it on Keri’s social media channel, blog, or with media influencers. Selling a concept.
- Secret Sauce: Being true to yourself. Very specific with brands, not taking too many brands.
- CEO Hack: Yoga to relax and manage every day.
- CEO Nugget: (1) Don't let others tell you what you can't do (2) Don't give up (3) Be the deciding factor.
- CEO Defined: Be the one that does it all and the ultimate decision-maker.
Facebook: KeriGansNY
Twitter: kerigans
Instagram: kerigans
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Transcription
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00:24 – Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:49 – Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And I have a very special guest on the show today at Keri Gans of kerigansny.com. Keri, it is awesome to have you on the show.
00:59 – Keri Gans
It's awesome to be here.
01:00 – Gresham Harkless
Great to have you. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Keri so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Keri is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, certified yoga teacher, author of The Small Change Diet, a Shape Magazine advisory board member, and blogger for US News and World Report. The Cary Report, her own weekly blog and newsletter, helps to convey her no-nonsense and fun approach to living a healthy lifestyle.
She is a sought-after nutrition expert and has conducted thousands of interviews worldwide. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as Glamour, Shape, Self, Women's Health, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, PIX, 11 Morning News, Good Morning America, and Fox Business. She lives in NYC in East Hampton with her husband, Bart, and is a huge dog lover, Netflix aficionado, and martini enthusiast. Keri, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?
[restrict paid=”true”]
01:56 – Keri Gans
I am ready to speak with them.
01:57 – Gresham Harkless
All right, let's do it. So first question ahead was just to hear a little bit more about your CEO story and what led you to start your business.
02:03 – Keri Gans
You know, it's funny. You talk about like CEO. I don't really think of myself that way. Yes, I run everything here. My business is me. And it just kind of had a life of its own. My passion for nutrition and my passion for communicating sound messages just took off. And it's an interesting thing when I think back, like, did I say one day I'm going to be a CEO? And it's even when you asked me to talk about being a CEO, I still don't really think of it that way. But I just kind of launched into being the one and only of what I do.
02:36 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And it's funny because I know, you know, when we definitely talked offline, we talked a little bit about that, but it's great to hear kind of how I think in like true entrepreneurial form, Sometimes, you know, you just kind of go with, I guess, how things are moving and then you follow like what probably is your passion, something you're truly passionate about, but also what you do very, very well, it sounds like.
02:54 – Keri Gans
Right. And it kind of sometimes just naturally or organically. I mean, I'd like to say that it was a really strict path. But I kind of when I look back, I was just open to new things, open to networking with others. I think that one of the biggest things that I could talk to anyone about starting their own business is networking and being open to meeting others, listening to others, and learning from others. And you'd be surprised sometimes where that takes you.
03:21 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. And sometimes you never know, for one, where the universe sometimes takes you. But 2, you never know who other people know. So as you start to connect with people and you start to build your network, you never know what opportunities present themselves. But like you said, you have to definitely be open to what happens.
03:35 – Keri Gans
Correct. And not be set and say, this is what I'm going to do. Because if you asked me, oh God, maybe it's been 18 years now, would I be talking Gresh to you right now? I'd be like, what are you talking about? I'm gonna have this small little business. I'm gonna be a dietician who just works one-on-one with patients, and that's what I'm gonna do. But it's not what happened. And you know, you're talking about the universe having other ideas for us. I think that if you're a specific type of person, sometimes standing still is not what you're meant to do. And you're just meant to move forward and take on new exciting opportunities. And that's then what probably led me to where I am now.
04:14 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And obviously, it sounds like you're doing a phenomenal job. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper in here, I guess a little bit more on how you support the clients that you work with. I know you have a bunch of things that you're doing, including your books. So could you tell us a little bit more about what you do to support the clients?
04:27 – Keri Gans
Well, basically what I do, I mean, I work with a variety of brands is probably what I do most. So food companies, I mean, I'm in the nutrition space. So food companies approach me and they want me to help them convey healthy eating messages which typically include their projects. I'm sorry, their products. And I wouldn't work with one of these brands if I didn't believe in their product. They have to align with my beliefs in nutrition. And what I do is I work with them a lot of times in today's world. Social media is a huge part of that.
So it would be sharing their messaging on my social media channels and sharing it out there. It's a lot of doing blog work for them, whether on my own blog, The Keri Report, or on their blog, whether it be doing media events and influencer events, as they're called, and getting other healthcare professionals or editors to learn more about the product. So it really, it can vary. There's a lot of different things that I do in that space. And it's what makes it exciting is it's constantly changing. Social media was not a part of the work I did 5 years ago, and now it's a major part of what I do. So it's also, I think, here the message is you constantly have to be willing to change if you want to stay relevant.
05:45 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I can imagine he probably speaks to this more than anything else, because I imagine like like you mentioned social media change, but I imagine the industry as a whole probably has changed dramatically. So you would be kind of stuck in I don't want to call it a bad place, but not maybe the best place that you are now. If you stayed kind of stuck in the way that you were doing business before. Is that correct?
06:04 – Keri Gans
Exactly. I mean, before it was you speak to magazines and then you could also get your brands mentioned in any magazine. Today, no. They're not going to just mention brands. They will, but we fully disclose. Anything I do with brands is disclosed. I have to say I have this partnership so the consumer knows. And for years, the consumer was unaware if individuals were working with brands. But it's changed. The business has changed. And you really have to be willing to change along with it.
06:33 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes sense. And then I imagine the consumer having a lot more power at their fingertips, so to speak, where they can do all this research and homework and find out who's connected with who and all of that stuff. It is very important for brands to be very transparent about who they're partnering with and also influencers like yourself.
06:49 – Keri Gans
Correct, and it's very important, I feel, to also still remain organic. So going back to that I'm not just gonna work with any brand, I'm gonna work with a brand that is passionate about health in the same way I am. And also, that's why I've also launched into working with various avenues on yoga, because that was also something relatively new for me, is becoming a certified yoga teacher.
But it was a passion of mine. It was something that I've been doing for years and years is yoga. And I was like, okay, now how can I get that passion into my nutrition passion? So I became a certified yoga teacher. Now a lot of my brands are like, wow, that kind of makes her a little different in the nutrition space. So let's have her feature one of our products in a really cool yoga pose because it's not necessarily what other nutritionists are doing. So when we think about building our business, is what also can make us stand out different than everybody else who's in the same space.
07:42 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, and I love the fact that you enabled it. It sounds like be able to do that and build that. And that might be the example of the secret sauce that I was gonna ask you, but you've been able to figure it out, or you probably know yourself more than anything else, and just be true to yourself. And then those brands find you, or you kind of connect with those brands that are in alignment with who you are as a person.
08:00 – Keri Gans
Yes, I mean, I think that's very important in what we do is being true to yourself. And when you do the type of work I do, that also means that you just don't take on too many brands because that wouldn't be looking good either for me if all of a sudden I'm working with every Tom, Dick, and Harry. I really need to be specific in order to communicate the message. And what happens is in my type of business, I am I am my own product.
So it's also an interesting way to look at it. I mean, people build businesses a lot of times and what are they selling? They're selling a particular product. With me, I'm selling a concept and that concept has to stem from me. So I have to be organic. I have to walk the walk, the talk as the saying goes. And it's very important because otherwise, brands are going to be like, what does she stand for? And you need to be very clear on what you're standing for. So others will have faith in you and be able to feel that you could Keri through what they need to communicate.
08:58 – Gresham Harkless
It makes perfect sense. Yeah. If you align yourself and describe, I guess exactly who you are and stay true to that, then those brands will kind of flock to you just like any clients or customers do as well.
09:07 – Keri Gans
Right. And it's not easy being, you know, what's the expression goal when you do everything when you're like the bottle washer? I mean, you do everything. I mean, some companies who do what I do do build a team and have a lot of people who do various outlets for them. There might be someone who does their social media, there might be someone who helps through their writing. I still do everything. And I probably, even if we have this discussion, Gresh, years from now, I probably still will do everything.
Not that I'm saying that's the only way. I mean, sometimes it's great to build a team around you. But I have a specific voice, not just sounding but communicating. And for me, it's always been important to just totally be totally hands-on. But with that comes challenges. So I think with people who are launching into various businesses, for them to understand, can I do everything? If I can't, that's okay. If you have the means to hire and disperse some of the projects, that could be very helpful. So there's nothing wrong, it can go either way. I think you just need to look at yourself because it can be overwhelming when you try to take it all upon yourself.
10:12 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. And that makes perfect sense. And now what I wanted to do was switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.
10:26 – Keri Gans
God, that is a good question. I'm going to say yoga. I think that when I do my yoga practice, it's like I kind of, I zone out for a while, I practice my yoga and I honestly don't meditate, but my vinyasa flow kind of helps me get, it helps me to relax in some way that then I can get back with and running into whatever needs to be done for the day. So for me, yoga has definitely helped in manage my day to day.
10:55 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. So you do yoga on a regular everyday basis just to make sure you get in that way?
10:59 – Keri Gans
I don't get on my mat every day I would like to. Let's say I get on my mat 4 to 5 days a week. But the beauty of yoga is that it doesn't have to just be practiced on your mat. And what I mean is it's like a concept. It's so, if I'm gonna have, it's helped me to be patient. So if I have deadlines and something comes up that I didn't expect in my day, I just go back to like, okay, take a deep breath, you're going to get this done. And I think that's the yoga from practicing for so many years that can help me be more present when I need to be.
11:33 – Gresham Harkless
Wow, that's powerful. And it makes yoga not so much of a practice, but actually like a lifestyle, as you're saying, because.
11:39 – Keri Gans
Yes, because it is. And it's not only it's like, I mean, it's even waiting online and day-to-day activities. And you're like, oh, I've always picked the wrong line to stand in. Oh, slow-moving line. Then I will be like, all right, take a deep breath and just try to stay present. It's so hard to stay present in today's world. I mean, social media, I have to do it for work a lot and I can get sidetracked. So I have to get back to I catch myself. I'm like, all right, you're now not doing this for work. You're kind of like looking at various things that like dogs or you know, other interests and cat videos and I have to bring myself back in to be present in what I'm doing. And I do think yoga has helped tremendously with that.
12:20 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I love that CEO hack. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this might be a word of wisdom. You might've already given us some. I know you've already given us some, but you might have anything else you want to add, this is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice or something you might tell your younger business self.
12:35 – Keri Gans
Don't give up. And that's probably not anything novel. But when I tell stories of how I began, it's really funny. I mean, I didn't even get accepted into my first internship as a dietician. All right? So if I had said at that 0, I didn't get the internship, then I never would have gone on to do what I'm doing today. You think like I never thought I was a writer because I was told, oh, You're not a really great writer, Terry. You're a great public speaker, but your writing style is not so great. But here I am the author of a book. So I really think you can't let others tell you what you cannot do. I hate the word can't. And I think the least we all owe to ourselves is to try and let ourselves be the deciding factor, not somebody else
13:23 – Gresham Harkless:
I love that and it's a great reminder Sometimes just because you don't fit into a certain paradigm or certain box It doesn't necessarily mean that maybe you're not an innovator, maybe you're not doing things ahead of where everybody else is doing it. So they might end up following you and you know, writing a book because you did one largely because that's your following in alignment with who you are.
13:42 – Keri Gans
Correct. And it goes back to being who you truly are.
13:45 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely.
13:46 – Keri Gans
Not ever being afraid to do that. You know, I mean, yes, we follow social norms in this world, but still, you know, there is no set path. And sometimes we just that's what makes an entrepreneur. It means brave enough to set out and create your own path. Because sometimes that's what one needs to do. And then others decide, hey, I kind of like that path. And who knew that you were the trendsetter and they were following you?
14:09 – Gresham Harkless
There you go. Exactly, exactly. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question. I know we touched on it a little bit in the beginning And it's the definition for what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners on the show. So, Keri, I wanted to ask you, what does it mean to you?
14:24 – Keri Gans
What it means to me, it means to be the one who basically does it all. I am, To me, it's almost synonymous with my name. I don't think of it as a specific title. I never thought of myself as a CEO, but I think of the CEO then as it relates to me as the one who makes decisions about everything that I do. I am the decision maker and ultimately it all falls on me. So it's freeing that I don't have to confer with others in what I do per se, but it can also be difficult because, at the end of the day, it's just me. But it's a challenge that I'm always willing to take.
15:04 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. You seem like you're doing an awesome job with that challenge. So, Keri, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and of course how best people can get in touch with you.
15:17 – Keri Gans
Well, it's been a pleasure being on the show. The best way to get in contact with me is to visit my website and that's kerigansny.com. You can find all my social links on there and you can subscribe to the Care Report. Lots of ways to stay connected to me. And I hope that all your listeners do.
15:38 – Gresham Harkless
Absolutely, and we'll have that link in the show notes just so that anybody can follow up. But again, I appreciate you. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
15:45 – Keri Gans
Thank you too, Gresh.
15:47 – Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
00:24 - Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:49 - Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And I have a very special guest on the show today at Keri Gans of kerigansny.com. Keri, it is awesome to have you on the show.
00:59 - Keri Gans
It's awesome to be here.
01:00 - Gresham Harkless
Great to have you. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Keri so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Keri is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, certified yoga teacher, author of The Small Change Diet, a Shape Magazine advisory board member, and blogger for US News and World Report. The Cary Report, her own weekly blog and newsletter, helps to convey her no-nonsense and fun approach to living a healthy lifestyle.
She is a sought-after nutrition expert and has conducted thousands of interviews worldwide. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as Glamour, Shape, Self, Women's Health, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, PIX, 11 Morning News, Good Morning America, and Fox Business. She lives in NYC in East Hampton with her husband, Bart, and is a huge dog lover, Netflix aficionado, and martini enthusiast. Keri, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?
01:56 - Keri Gans
I am ready to speak with them.
01:57 - Gresham Harkless
All right, let's do it. So first question ahead was just to hear a little bit more about your CEO story and what led you to start your business.
02:03 - Keri Gans
You know, it's funny. You talk about like CEO. I don't really think of myself that way. Yes, I run everything here. My business is me. And it just kind of had a life of its own. My passion for nutrition and my passion for communicating sound messages just took off. And it's an interesting thing when I think back, like, did I say one day I'm going to be a CEO? And it's even when you asked me to talk about being a CEO, I still don't really think of it that way. But I just kind of launched into being the one and only of what I do.
02:36 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And it's funny because I know, you know, when we definitely talked offline, we talked a little bit about that, but it's great to hear kind of how I think in like true entrepreneurial form, Sometimes, you know, you just kind of go with, I guess, how things are moving and then you follow like what probably is your passion, something you're truly passionate about, but also what you do very, very well, it sounds like.
02:54 - Keri Gans
Right. And it kind of sometimes just naturally or organically. I mean, I'd like to say that it was a really strict path. But I kind of when I look back, I was just open to new things, open to networking with others. I think that one of the biggest things that I could talk to anyone about starting their own business is networking and being open to meeting others, listening to others, and learning from others. And you'd be surprised sometimes where that takes you.
03:21 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. And sometimes you never know, for one, where the universe sometimes takes you. But 2, you never know who other people know. So as you start to connect with people and you start to build your network, you never know what opportunities present themselves. But like you said, you have to definitely be open to what happens.
03:35 - Keri Gans
Correct. And not be set and say, this is what I'm going to do. Because if you asked me, oh God, maybe it's been 18 years now, would I be talking Gresh to you right now? I'd be like, what are you talking about? I'm gonna have this small little business. I'm gonna be a dietician who just works one-on-one with patients, and that's what I'm gonna do. But it's not what happened. And you know, you're talking about the universe having other ideas for us. I think that if you're a specific type of person, sometimes standing still is not what you're meant to do. And you're just meant to move forward and take on new exciting opportunities. And that's then what probably led me to where I am now.
04:14 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And obviously, it sounds like you're doing a phenomenal job. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper in here, I guess a little bit more on how you support the clients that you work with. I know you have a bunch of things that you're doing, including your books. So could you tell us a little bit more about what you do to support the clients?
04:27 - Keri Gans
Well, basically what I do, I mean, I work with a variety of brands is probably what I do most. So food companies, I mean, I'm in the nutrition space. So food companies approach me and they want me to help them convey healthy eating messages which typically include their projects. I'm sorry, their products. And I wouldn't work with one of these brands if I didn't believe in their product. They have to align with my beliefs in nutrition. And what I do is I work with them a lot of times in today's world. Social media is a huge part of that.
So it would be sharing their messaging on my social media channels and sharing it out there. It's a lot of doing blog work for them, whether on my own blog, The Keri Report, or on their blog, whether it be doing media events and influencer events, as they're called, and getting other healthcare professionals or editors to learn more about the product. So it really, it can vary. There's a lot of different things that I do in that space. And it's what makes it exciting is it's constantly changing. Social media was not a part of the work I did 5 years ago, and now it's a major part of what I do. So it's also, I think, here the message is you constantly have to be willing to change if you want to stay relevant.
05:45 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I can imagine he probably speaks to this more than anything else, because I imagine like like you mentioned social media change, but I imagine the industry as a whole probably has changed dramatically. So you would be kind of stuck in I don't want to call it a bad place, but not maybe the best place that you are now. If you stayed kind of stuck in the way that you were doing business before. Is that correct?
06:04 - Keri Gans
Exactly. I mean, before it was you speak to magazines and then you could also get your brands mentioned in any magazine. Today, no. They're not going to just mention brands. They will, but we fully disclose. Anything I do with brands is disclosed. I have to say I have this partnership so the consumer knows. And for years, the consumer was unaware if individuals were working with brands. But it's changed. The business has changed. And you really have to be willing to change along with it.
06:33 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes sense. And then I imagine the consumer having a lot more power at their fingertips, so to speak, where they can do all this research and homework and find out who's connected with who and all of that stuff. It is very important for brands to be very transparent about who they're partnering with and also influencers like yourself.
06:49 - Keri Gans
Correct, and it's very important, I feel, to also still remain organic. So going back to that I'm not just gonna work with any brand, I'm gonna work with a brand that is passionate about health in the same way I am. And also, that's why I've also launched into working with various avenues on yoga, because that was also something relatively new for me, is becoming a certified yoga teacher.
But it was a passion of mine. It was something that I've been doing for years and years is yoga. And I was like, okay, now how can I get that passion into my nutrition passion? So I became a certified yoga teacher. Now a lot of my brands are like, wow, that kind of makes her a little different in the nutrition space. So let's have her feature one of our products in a really cool yoga pose because it's not necessarily what other nutritionists are doing. So when we think about building our business, is what also can make us stand out different than everybody else who's in the same space.
07:42 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, and I love the fact that you enabled it. It sounds like be able to do that and build that. And that might be the example of the secret sauce that I was gonna ask you, but you've been able to figure it out, or you probably know yourself more than anything else, and just be true to yourself. And then those brands find you, or you kind of connect with those brands that are in alignment with who you are as a person.
08:00 - Keri Gans
Yes, I mean, I think that's very important in what we do is being true to yourself. And when you do the type of work I do, that also means that you just don't take on too many brands because that wouldn't be looking good either for me if all of a sudden I'm working with every Tom, Dick, and Harry. I really need to be specific in order to communicate the message. And what happens is in my type of business, I am I am my own product.
So it's also an interesting way to look at it. I mean, people build businesses a lot of times and what are they selling? They're selling a particular product. With me, I'm selling a concept and that concept has to stem from me. So I have to be organic. I have to walk the walk, the talk as the saying goes. And it's very important because otherwise, brands are going to be like, what does she stand for? And you need to be very clear on what you're standing for. So others will have faith in you and be able to feel that you could Keri through what they need to communicate.
08:58 - Gresham Harkless
It makes perfect sense. Yeah. If you align yourself and describe, I guess exactly who you are and stay true to that, then those brands will kind of flock to you just like any clients or customers do as well.
09:07 - Keri Gans
Right. And it's not easy being, you know, what's the expression goal when you do everything when you're like the bottle washer? I mean, you do everything. I mean, some companies who do what I do do build a team and have a lot of people who do various outlets for them. There might be someone who does their social media, there might be someone who helps through their writing. I still do everything. And I probably, even if we have this discussion, Gresh, years from now, I probably still will do everything.
Not that I'm saying that's the only way. I mean, sometimes it's great to build a team around you. But I have a specific voice, not just sounding but communicating. And for me, it's always been important to just totally be totally hands-on. But with that comes challenges. So I think with people who are launching into various businesses, for them to understand, can I do everything? If I can't, that's okay. If you have the means to hire and disperse some of the projects, that could be very helpful. So there's nothing wrong, it can go either way. I think you just need to look at yourself because it can be overwhelming when you try to take it all upon yourself.
10:12 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. And that makes perfect sense. And now what I wanted to do was switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.
10:26 - Keri Gans
God, that is a good question. I'm going to say yoga. I think that when I do my yoga practice, it's like I kind of, I zone out for a while, I practice my yoga and I honestly don't meditate, but my vinyasa flow kind of helps me get, it helps me to relax in some way that then I can get back with and running into whatever needs to be done for the day. So for me, yoga has definitely helped in manage my day to day.
10:55 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. So you do yoga on a regular everyday basis just to make sure you get in that way?
10:59 - Keri Gans
I don't get on my mat every day I would like to. Let's say I get on my mat 4 to 5 days a week. But the beauty of yoga is that it doesn't have to just be practiced on your mat. And what I mean is it's like a concept. It's so, if I'm gonna have, it's helped me to be patient. So if I have deadlines and something comes up that I didn't expect in my day, I just go back to like, okay, take a deep breath, you're going to get this done. And I think that's the yoga from practicing for so many years that can help me be more present when I need to be.
11:33 - Gresham Harkless
Wow, that's powerful. And it makes yoga not so much of a practice, but actually like a lifestyle, as you're saying, because.
11:39 - Keri Gans
Yes, because it is. And it's not only it's like, I mean, it's even waiting online and day-to-day activities. And you're like, oh, I've always picked the wrong line to stand in. Oh, slow-moving line. Then I will be like, all right, take a deep breath and just try to stay present. It's so hard to stay present in today's world. I mean, social media, I have to do it for work a lot and I can get sidetracked. So I have to get back to I catch myself. I'm like, all right, you're now not doing this for work. You're kind of like looking at various things that like dogs or you know, other interests and cat videos and I have to bring myself back in to be present in what I'm doing. And I do think yoga has helped tremendously with that.
12:20 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I love that CEO hack. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this might be a word of wisdom. You might've already given us some. I know you've already given us some, but you might have anything else you want to add, this is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice or something you might tell your younger business self.
12:35 - Keri Gans
Don't give up. And that's probably not anything novel. But when I tell stories of how I began, it's really funny. I mean, I didn't even get accepted into my first internship as a dietician. All right? So if I had said at that 0, I didn't get the internship, then I never would have gone on to do what I'm doing today. You think like I never thought I was a writer because I was told, oh, You're not a really great writer, Terry. You're a great public speaker, but your writing style is not so great. But here I am the author of a book. So I really think you can't let others tell you what you cannot do. I hate the word can't. And I think the least we all owe to ourselves is to try and let ourselves be the deciding factor, not somebody else
13:23 - Gresham Harkless: I love that and it's a great reminder Sometimes just because you don't fit into a certain paradigm or certain box It doesn't necessarily mean that maybe you're not an innovator, maybe you're not doing things ahead of where everybody else is doing it. So they might end up following you and you know, writing a book because you did one largely because that's your following in alignment with who you are.
13:42 - Keri Gans
Correct. And it goes back to being who you truly are.
13:45 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely.
13:46 - Keri Gans
Not ever being afraid to do that. You know, I mean, yes, we follow social norms in this world, but still, you know, there is no set path. And sometimes we just that's what makes an entrepreneur. It means brave enough to set out and create your own path. Because sometimes that's what one needs to do. And then others decide, hey, I kind of like that path. And who knew that you were the trendsetter and they were following you?
14:09 - Gresham Harkless
There you go. Exactly, exactly. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question. I know we touched on it a little bit in the beginning And it's the definition for what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners on the show. So, Keri, I wanted to ask you, what does it mean to you?
14:24 - Keri Gans
What it means to me, it means to be the one who basically does it all. I am, To me, it's almost synonymous with my name. I don't think of it as a specific title. I never thought of myself as a CEO, but I think of the CEO then as it relates to me as the one who makes decisions about everything that I do. I am the decision maker and ultimately it all falls on me. So it's freeing that I don't have to confer with others in what I do per se, but it can also be difficult because, at the end of the day, it's just me. But it's a challenge that I'm always willing to take.
15:04 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely. You seem like you're doing an awesome job with that challenge. So, Keri, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and of course how best people can get in touch with you.
15:17 - Keri Gans
Well, it's been a pleasure being on the show. The best way to get in contact with me is to visit my website and that's kerigansny.com. You can find all my social links on there and you can subscribe to the Care Report. Lots of ways to stay connected to me. And I hope that all your listeners do.
15:38 - Gresham Harkless
Absolutely, and we'll have that link in the show notes just so that anybody can follow up. But again, I appreciate you. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
15:45 - Keri Gans
Thank you too, Gresh.
15:47 - Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
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